The Hidden Life
by Bam
Summary: Lucky's been keeping a secret that coud kill her. Can the others help her, or is she too much of a loner for them to notice that something's wrong? please R&R!
1. Thinking Back

******Lucky/Zero and Minutes are mine!  Feel free to use them as characters, but please check with me first!  Thanks!  ---Bam.**

***hey kids!  I know I haven't finished my other stories, but that's a long story involving me losing all of my work when my hard drive crashed…  so here's a new one!  Its for the Bronx Newsgirls.  Its giving me some trouble, so please review and give me some advice!!!!  Thanks!  big hugs and sloppy kisses**

            Shit, Lucky thought to herself as she pulled her small body up and over a fence.  Glancing behind her, she saw Minutes chasing after her.     
            "Zero!  Hold up, will ya!"  Minutes called after her.

            "Go to hell!" Lucky screamed over her shoulder.  He caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm.

            "Listen up, I'm sorry," he started but was quickly silenced by the icy glare Lucky shot him.  Sighing, he started again.  "I didn't mean to get you involved in this, but there's nothing I can do about it now."  His grip on her arm tightened.  "So quit being such a bitch," he added with a growl.

            "Piss off, Minutes!  Of course you meant to get me involved, or you wouldn't have asked me in the first place!"  She shook her arm free of his hand and stormed off toward the lodging house.  Lucky figured he would follow her, but heard no footsteps behind her.  When she looked back, there was no sign of Minutes.  Shaking her head angrily, she pushed open the door to the lodging house.  It should have felt good to be home, but Lucky just felt out of place.  Since she joined the house, she hadn't made much of an effort to make her presence know.  She preferred to sell alone, and rarely came back to the house before the wee hours of the morning.  How did I get into this mess, she asked herself.  Lucky made her way up to the bunkroom, thinking about the first time she had met Minutes.  It was the first week she had been in the lodging house.  She remembered feeling scared and lonely, and when Minutes came up to her one day, she felt a sense of security with him that she hadn't felt since leaving her parents.  Lucky laid down on her bunk and closed her eyes, allowing the memory to play in her head.

            _ "Hey doll, wudda ya doin' sellin' papes?  You're too pretty for dat!"  _She smiled as she remembered his first words to her.  No one had ever called her pretty before.  They started talking and soon became friends.  Months had passed when one day, Minutes asked her to come with him somewhere and she agreed.  She followed along with him as he made his way to an abandoned factory on the edge of the Bronx territory.  Two young men waited for them inside.  

            _"Who's the broad?" _the one demanded.

            _"This is… um…. Me goil..."  _Lucky remembered the nervousness in Minutes' voice.  Lucky also remembered the butterflies in her stomach when she heard Minutes call her his girl.  She had grown quite fond of him and was happy to learn that he considered her to be his girl.

            _"What's yer name, sweetheart?" _ the other asked her.

            _"That don't matter…." _Minutes tried to avoid question, but the two men persisted.  

            _"If she's gonna be heah for dis, den we wanna know her damn name."_

_            "It's Zero."  _Lucky answered bluntly.  She couldn't figure out why Minutes hadn't wanted to tell them her name, but she figured he knew best.

            _"I see where ya got dat name from,"  _the first one remarked as his eyes swept over her, causing her cheeks to grow red in embarrassment. 

            _"Let's just get to business,"  _Minutes insisted, avoiding eye contact with Lucky.  Their "business" took mere seconds, and soon Lucky found herself back outside, watching Minutes conceal a small brown package in his coat.  He walked her back to her usual corner in silence.  

            _"I didn't know ya thought of me as your goil,"  _Lucky tried to read Minutes' face, but it was like stone.  _"Min?  Did ya hear me?"  _He nodded.

            _"Ya know, since you'se my goil now, maybe you could do me a favor…"_

_            "Shoa!  Anything!"  _

_            "Could you just hold onto dis for me?"_  he shoved the package into her hands, looking around nervously.  Lucky took the package and tucked it carefully in her pants pocket.  _"Don't tell anyone about it, especially not the odda newsies.  Dis is our secret…"_

            Lucky pushed the memory out of her mind as she heard someone else enter the bunkroom.

            "Hi Lucky!"  Kat called out.  "Long time no see!"  Lucky ignored her and kept her eyes tightly closed.  She knew the other girls were getting annoyed with her aloof act, but she didn't really care.  I got enough problems, Lucky thought to herself.  Ever since that day with Minutes, her life had turned completely upside down.


	2. Memories of the Morning

            **Hi all!  Yay!  More story!  Go me!!!**

            **Thanks to Kora and Fast for the reviews!  You guys rock!!!  **

Lucky remained in her bed, eyes closed, listening to Kat rummaging around the bunkroom.  Damn, Kat, just go away, she thought, annoyed.

            "Lucky?"  Kat's timid voice forced her to open her eyes.  

            "Wudda ya want, Kat?"  Lucky replied rudely.

            "Um… I was just wonderin' ifen you'd like ta come eat wid us…."  Kat offered.  

            "I already ate,"  Lucky stated bluntly.  She looked up at Kat.  She's just tryin' ta be nice, ya bitch, Lucky scolded herself.  She gave Kat a small smile, "But t'anks for askin'.  Maybe tomorrow…"  Kat nodded and exited the bunkroom.  Guilt washed over Lucky, but she was happy to be alone again.  She let her mind wander to the events that had just occurred.

It was exactly one month since that day with Minutes.  Lucky was happier than ever being his girl, despite the distant disposition he had taken toward her.  Minutes tried his hardest to treat Lucky like his girl, and that was all she asked for.  This morning, Lucky awoke to find that the first snow had fallen, leaving the city covered in a thick, shimmering white blanket.  Lucky trudged through the snow to her usual selling spot, where she peddled her papers until Minutes met up with her for lunch, as he had done everyday since they met.  She saw him slowly walking towards her, his eyes fixed on the ground.

            _"Min!"_  She called and waved to him excitedly, but he paid no attention to her.  _"Minutes!"_  She called louder, but still no response.  _"MINUTES!!!"_

            _"Damn, Zero!  What the hell are you yelling my f*ckin' name so loud for?"_  He grabbed her arm as soon as she got within his reach.

            _"Sorry!"_  Lucky shook free of his grasp and rubbed her arm.  _"Geez, I was just tryin' ta get yer attention."_

_            "Yeah, well, screamin' my damn name up and down the street is a great way to get everyone's attention.  You tryin' ta get me killed or somethin'?"_  Minutes' voice was filled with condescension.   

            _"I was just happy ta see ya.  It's our anniversary t'day, ya know.  One whole month!"  _

            _"Our what?"_  Minutes saw the hurt flash through Lucky's eyes.  _"Oh, our anniversary!  Right!  Happy anniversary, Zero!"_  He pulled her into a hug, but she resisted.  She was still angry that he had yelled at her for no reason.

            _"Don't call me dat."_

_            "Call you what?"_

            _"Zero.  I hate it.  And it ain't me name anyways,"_  Lucky said stubbornly.

            _"I've always called ya Zero…"_

_            "And I've always hated it.  It ain't me name.  I ain't Zero.  I'm Lucky."_

            _"Foine, whateva.  Let's go eat."  _Minutes lead Lucky into the diner she sold in front of.

            _"Why we gotta always eat heah?"_  Lucky complained.  _"It's our anniversary!  Let's go somewhere nicer!"_

            _"You t'ink I'm made of money or somethin'?  Honestly, Zero…"_

_            "I asked ya ta not call me dat.  It ain't me name,"_  Lucky interrupted.

            _"What da hell is yer problem t'day?"_  Minutes yelled at her from across the table they had just been seated at.  Lucky ignored him and instead busied herself searching for a cigarette in her pockets.  Her fingers brushed across the package he had asked her to hold.  She pulled it out and set it on the table between them.

            _"What are ya doin' wit dat?"_  Minutes stared at the package like it would jump up and attack him.

            _"When are ya takin' dis t'ing back?  I'm sick of carrin' it."_

            _"Just put it away fer now,"_  Minutes glanced around the restaurant nervously.  _"We'll tawk about it lata."_  Lucky picked up the small package again and carefully inspected it.

            _"What is it anyway?  Ya never told me,"_  she asked.

            _"Just put it away."_  Lucky ignored his request again, and instead started pealing back the brown wrapping, revealing a small wooden box.  Minutes grabbed for it, but Lucky was faster.  She quickly opened the box to find three knifes.

            _"What's da big deal, it's just…"_  Lucky stopped when she noticed that the handles of two of the knives were stained with blood.  Minutes grabbed the box from her.

            _"I told ya ta drop it."_

            _"Min, what da hell is goin' on?"_  Lucky was worried now.  Was that really blood?

            _"Aw shit,"_ Minutes muttered.  _"I might as well tell ya now.  I was tryin' ta keep ya outta dis, but…"  _He took a deep breathe and leaned in toward Lucky.  Keeping his voice barely audible, Minutes explained.  _"Listen, I'm in a gang.  But don't tell no one.  My job is to get rid of any evidence from the jobs da odda guys do.  Dose knives are from a hit dat went down a month ago.  I hafta wait till da bulls cool down a bit before I can get 'em back from ya.  They've been tryin' ta get der hands on me and da rest of da boys for a couple months now.  If dey get ahold of me, I gotta be clean so dat dey don't go afta da rest of da gang.  So I had ya hold onto dose until I could get rid of dem.  I really didn't wanna get ya involved, but…"_

            _"You didn't wanna get me involved?"_  Lucky screamed.  _"Doncha t'ink dat me carryin' dose t'ings around sorta gets me involved, you asshole?"_  Before she had shut her mouth on the last word, Minutes slapped her across the face.

            _"Keep your damn voice down, ya hear me?"_  he hissed.

            _"You selfish bastard,"_  Lucky snatched the box back from him and stormed out of the restaurant.

            _"Get back heah!"_  Minutes screamed after her.  She took off running with him in hot pursuit.  _"Zero!  Hold up, will ya!"_

_            "Go to hell!"_

_            "Listen up, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to get you involved in this, but there's nothing I can do about it now  So quit being such a bitch." _

            _"Piss off, Minutes!  Of course you meant to get me involved, or you wouldn't have asked me in the first place!"  _

            Lucky opened her eyes and started at the bunk above her.  "What the hell did I get myself into?"  she thought outloud.  She blinked away the tears at first, but quickly gave up the battle as violent sobs shook her tiny body.


End file.
